Funding Headlines from Government Funding.org and elsewhere

Government unveils £42.5m sector 'recession fund' 
Government launches Real help for communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises delivers a range of initiatives: Download a copy of the report: Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises

• Up to £10 million investment in volunteer brokerage scheme for unemployed people with create over 40,000 opportunities for people to learn new skills and give back to communities through volunteering.
• A £15.5 million Community Resilience Fund will provide grant funding to small and medium providers in our most deprived communities. This is in addition to the £130 million already committed to the Grassroots Grants programme meaning more small grants to more community groups.
• A £16.5 million modernisation fund to help with the cost of mergers, partnerships and moves to more efficient sharing of back office functions for at least 3000 third sector organisations.
• A £0.5 million investment in the School for Social Entrepreneurs to double the number of people it trains to become social entrepreneurs, particularly those working in deprived communities.
• A national campaign to raise awareness of the Government's commitment to pay all invoices within 10 days, which will improve cash flow for small organisations

Statement on the future of governmentfunding.org.uk 
Following the end of a funding relationship with the Office of the Third Sector (OTS), DSC plan to greatly expand the content and functionality of governmentfunding.org.uk so that it continues to provide the best possible service for the voluntary sector.

Fund to help small charities bid for public contracts 
A new £220,000 grant fund to help small voluntary organisations tender for public sector contracts has been launched by Futurebuilders England and the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning.

New Opportunities White Paper has been launched 
New Government agenda for capturing the jobs of the future and investing in families, communities and citizens.

£20bn financial support package available to small businesses and third sector organisations 
Government launches a new £20bn financial support package for small businesses, which can also be accessed by third sector organisations, business secretary Peter Mandelson has promised.

New and improved government funding service
Governmentfunding.org.uk are expanding their funding information to include local, regional and European government funding opportunities.

Increasing demand for debt advice services 
Government funded face to face debt advice services have helped over 100,000 people in 2008, and the national telephone debt advice line has seen a significant increase in demand for advice.

New Intergenerational Volunteering Fund
The new fund will be available in 2009/10 and 2010/11 with 1.5m available in each year. Further details of how the fund will be tendered and run will be available in the New Year

Capacitybuilders commissions new research 
Capacitybuilders has commissioned a partnership to undertake the largest evaluation ever of the impact of the government's CB programmes

Defending Local Grants [pdf] will help you quote government guidance supporting the use of grants; challenges the myth that grants are no longer possible because of competition law and European regulations; explains what grants achieve for local communities that contracts cannot.

for more information on any of the above go to http://www.governmentfunding.org.uk/

COUNTRY LIFE VILLAGE CHURCH AWARD    Could your church enter for this award and win £10,000 or £5,000.

Where does the East Midlands want its big Millions to go The BIG Lottery Fund wants people in the East Midlands to let the Fund know where they want BIG's good cause millions to go for the next six years. Big thinking' visited the East Midlands to hear the region's priorities on how the Big Lottery Fund's good cause money should be allocated through its grant funding programmes between 2009 and 2015.

The consultation event was held at the Space Centre in Leicester on 4 February 2009. Representatives from local projects, including Engage Project, Derby City Council, Co-Operative Community Action, Chesterfield Links, Hope for the Homeless and Rumbles Catering Project, attended today's consultation to give their views on the distribution of Lottery good causes funds and help inform future grant decisions for the region. So far BIG has helped roughly 5,132 projects in the East Midlands, awarding grants totalling over £126,810,752. Following the results of the consultation, BIG is expecting to distribute over £2 billion nationwide over the coming years.

Big thinking link to the Fund's public consultation is running until the end of February 2009, and is open to all individuals and organisations across the UK. The Fund is responsible for distributing half of the UK's Lottery good causes cash. Questions include:

• Do you agree we should have a greater focus in our funding to benefit those most in need?
• After 2012, when our 60-70 per cent undertaking ends, should we continue to guarantee a percentage of our funding to the voluntary and community sector?
• How can BIG best help build lasting partnerships and networks that support communities and people most in need?
• Are there opportunities for joint funding that BIG should take up?
• Do you agree that the theme of isolation provides a useful starting point for our funding?